I am Assistant Professor at Northumbria University, where I have led BA, MA and PhD programmes in the Humanities Department and currently serve as Research Group Lead for English Language and Linguistics.
My research develops trauma-informed communication strategies that strengthen mental wellbeing, resilience and safety—particularly for people and communities who fall outside formal support systems.
Working in partnership with emergency services, mental health organisations and community groups, I address critical gaps in psychological support for frontline workers, volunteers and at-risk populations. This includes co-designing training resources, evaluating education and engagement programmes, and developing scalable, evidence-based frameworks for wellbeing initiatives.
My approach combines participatory co-design and mixed-methods evaluation with insights from cognitive and social psychology, discourse and narrative studies, corpus linguistics and the medical humanities. These perspectives illuminate how language influences people’s experiences of health, wellbeing and identity. As a member of the Northumbria Centre for Responsible AI, I also examine how digital technologies can make communication-based interventions more accessible, scalable and ethically grounded.
I am widely published in health communication, narrative studies and cognitive linguistics. My outputs include an edited volume, The Language of Crisis (John Benjamins, 2020), a forthcoming Cambridge Element Advancing Community Safety and Wellbeing (Cambridge University Press, 2027), and peer-reviewed articles in leading international journals such as Language and Health, Language and Literature and Lingua.
I have led both externally and internally funded projects that advance community safety, health communication and wellbeing. These collaborations—with partners such as the NHS, RNLI, National Fire Chiefs Council, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service, Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, and Newcastle and Gateshead Councils—have established a strong foundation for larger, multi-agency research now developing at regional and national levels.
I welcome discussions on research partnerships and consultancy opportunities with organisations and social groups working in these areas, as well as PhD proposals from students interested in collaborative, practice-facing research.
Highlights of recent public engagement and impact projects:
Saving Lives: Supporting Volunteer Responders (2024–ongoing):
A multi-agency partnership initiative involving the RNLI, NFCC, Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service (TWFRS), Tyneside and Northumberland Mind, Washington Mind, Newcastle City Council, Gateshead Council, and waterside safety communities across Tyne and Wear. Early collaborative work has identified critical gaps in mental wellbeing support for volunteer waterside responders and established the partnerships needed to develop systematic, evidence-based interventions.
Multi-agency stakeholder event (funded by the Institute of Humanities, Northumbria University, November 2024):
As part of the initiative, Strengthening Mental Health Resilience for Volunteer First Responders was a stakeholder event bringing together representatives from over 20 partner organisations across emergency services, mental health, public health, local government and community groups to co-develop sustainable models of responder support.
SafetyWorks Centre evaluation (commissioned by Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue Service) (2025 – 2026):
Evaluator for SafetyWorks—a TWFRS public education centre delivering community safety and wellbeing programmes to Year 6 and Year 8 pupils across Tyne and Wear. This evaluation employs a realist evaluation approach and mixed-methods design to explore what works, for whom and in what contexts to enhance young people's safety knowledge, confidence and wellbeing. The study combines pre–post surveys, focus groups, interviews and observations to produce evidence-based recommendations for programme development. Findings will inform my forthcoming book, Advancing Community Safety and Wellbeing: Building Resilience and Engagement through Communication (under contract with Cambridge Elements: Health Communication series, Cambridge University Press, 2027)
Festival of Social Science events (funded by ESRC):
Community Safety Unlocked: Exploring Risk and Wellbeing at SafetyWorks! (February 2025) – A public engagement event at the SafetyWorks education centre in Newcastle.
Beyond Bedtime: The Hidden Joy and Wellness in Adults Reading with Children (2023) - A public engagement workshop examining wellbeing benefits of cross-generational co-reading.
Funded projects that I led as Principal Investigator:
Huang, M. (PI), Charlton, E. (Co-I, Tyneside and Northumberland Mind), McKenzie, R. (Co-I, Northumbria University), "Narratives of Resilience: A Collaborative Venture for Better Mental Wellness of Volunteer Emergency Responders". April–November 2024. Institute of Humanities Banner Project, Northumbria University.
Huang, M. (PI), Edwards, R. (Co-I), "Improving Patients' First Point of Contact with Primary Healthcare Services". February–July 2015. Higher Education Innovation Funding (HEIF).
Huang, M. (PI), McAnelly, S. (Co-I, Health and Social Care, Northumbria University), Edwards, R. (Co-I, Humanities, Northumbria University), "Becoming Effective Communicators in Healthcare Services—A Cross-Faculty Project for Nurturing Critical Graduates in BA English Language Studies and BSc Pre-Registration Healthcare Studies". October 2014–August 2015. Teaching Quality Enhancement Fund (TQEF), Northumbria University.
Huang, M. (PI), Stansfield, S. (Co-I, NHS England and NHS Improvement), Edwards, R. (Co-I), "Improved Care and Better Value for Patients with Long-Term Conditions—A Collaborative Project in Primary Healthcare". February–June 2014. European Regional Development Fund (ERDF).
Award:
Finalist, Bright Ideas in Health Awards, NHS Innovations North (2016)
Research interests
My research addresses pressing societal challenges in mental health, community safety and wellbeing support—generating insights that directly inform professional practice, policy development, and service design. I work at the intersection of linguistic theory and applied practice, integrating health communication, cognitive linguistics, narrative and discourse studies, corpus and digital humanities. I employ mixed-methods approaches to develop communication strategies that can be implemented in partnership with public services, organisations and community groups.
My work converges around four interconnected themes:
Language, health and crisis communication – exploring how language shapes understanding and engagement with health, mental wellbeing and safety in both everyday and high-stress contexts, including trauma-informed communication, health literacy and emergency response.
Wellbeing, identity and personhood – examining how language mediates experiences of identity, resilience and relationships, particularly for people navigating challenging circumstances or operating outside formal support structures.
Narratives and storytelling – analysing the functions and significance of narratives across personal, organisational and literary contexts, and how storytelling supports mental health, meaning-making and community engagement.
Digital technology and inclusive communication – investigating how digital platforms and tools can enhance the accessibility, reach and sustainability of communication interventions while maintaining ethical, person-centred practice.
Public engagement and impact activities
I work in close partnership with emergency services, mental health organisations, public health teams, charities, and community groups to co-develop communication resources, evaluate education programmes, and build sustainable models of support. My collaborative work includes designing training materials for volunteer responders, evaluating community safety initiatives, and creating digital resources that extend the reach of evidence-based interventions.
PhD supervision
I am currently accepting PhD students and welcome proposals exploring language and communication in the above areas. Please get in touch to discuss your ideas.
As Principal Supervisor, I have guided the following doctoral research projects:
Current doctoral researchers:
Yulin Diao: Communicators on the Frontlines: A Mixed-methods Study on the Linguistic Dimensions of Vicarious Trauma in Public Service Interpreters. Start Date: 1 October 2024
Saeed Hoseini: Multiple Voices in Lyric Poetry: A Discourse Stylistic Study of How a Non-Narrative Genre Creates Effect Through Narrative. Start Date: 1 October 2024
Completed PhDs:
Gerrit Kotzur: Disablism at Work. A Critical Discourse and Biographical Narrative Study of Blind and Partially Sighted People’s Professional Identities in the UK and Germany (PhD awarded on 1 Oct 2018)
Hui-Ching Lin: Particles in Phrasal Verbs — a Cognitive Linguistic Approach to Meaning Construction in the EFL Context (PhD awarded on 26 September 2019)
Sylvia Spanou: Deconstructive Reading as a Constrained Hypertextual Interpretation: A Cognitive Linguistic Approach. (PhD awarded on 17 July 2023)
Houssem Sid: The Line between Screening Muslims and Being One: The Representation of the Muslim Identity in ‘The Reluctant Fundamentalist’ (2012); Algerian Muslims’ Perceptions and Negotiations of Muslim Identity. (PhD awarded on 20 December 2024)
In addition to my role as Principal Supervisor, I currently co-supervise two PhD projects and have successfully co-supervised three doctoral completions between 2010 and 2023. These collaborations have spanned diverse research areas – including cognitive linguistics, critical discourse analysis, sociolinguistics, digital communication and wellbeing studies – reflecting my commitment to supporting interdisciplinary doctoral research across the field.
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